14. Frost

Chapter fourteen

Frost

“ O kay,” I say, closing my trunk and turning towards Avery. “I think that’s everything.”

“I’m gonna do one more sweep of the cabin and then we can be on our way!”

I smile as I watch him bound up the stairs and into the cabin. Gods, his ass looks good in those pants.

Someone clears their throat behind me and I turn around, finding Theo and Elias standing there, giving me twin looks of amusement. My cheeks heat and I cross my arms over my chest, doing my best to look like I haven’t just been caught staring at Avery’s ass even though that’s clearly what I was just doing.

“We just wanted to catch you before you were on your way,” Elias says with a wide grin. “You really helped us out this week. If you ever need a reference for a future job, please don’t hesitate.”

Theo nods his head. “Or if you’re looking for a more permanent job, let us know. We could use a full time maintenance man, especially during the summer months.”

I’m touched more than I care to admit. “Thank you,” I say right away and meaning it with my whole heart. Not only did they take a chance on me when it would have been easier to turn me away, but they also led me to my omega. “Thank you so much, both of you. You’ll never know what this means to me.”

Elias raises his brow playfully, tilting his head towards the cabin. “We have an idea or two.”

“We might not know the full details, but we can tell whatever is going on between you two, is something really special,” Theo says softly. “We’re very happy for you, Frost. I hope we’ll see you again in the future.”

“Oh yes,” Elias adds, “and maybe someday you can tell us the full story.” He sighs. “I just love a good love story.”

“I’ll see what we can make happen in the future,” I tell them both with a warm chuckle. I turn towards the cabin as Avery walks back out. He sees the three of us and grins.

“Here to see us off?”

“Yes,” Elias says, pulling Avery into a tight hug. “Merry Christmas, Avery. We were just telling Frost that you two need to come visit us again in the future.”

“And to offer Frost a job,” Theo adds with a raised brow.

“Sorry, I’ve kinda talked him into leaving you all.”

“We don’t mind,” Elias says with a grin. “I’m glad he’s going to a good home.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not a stray dog! Stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

The four of us share a laugh before Avery and I are getting into our vehicles and heading out of the lodge and towards the road. I follow behind him, my stomach getting more and more upset the longer we drive.

It’s not that I don’t want this, because I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more. There are just so many unknowns. What if his pack hates me? What if he changes his mind? What if we really are moving too quickly?

Before I can fall into the pit of despair, Avery is quickly pulling his vehicle to the side of the road. He gets out, runs to the side of the road and starts to throw up.

“Jesus,” I hiss out, quickly getting out and running over to him.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” he gets out between heaves. “I’m fine. Just upset stomach.”

“Are you second guessing your decision to invite me home with you?”

Avery wipes his face with his arm. “What? No . Are you ?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Okay then. Let’s get back on the road.” He makes sure he’s done throwing up before going back to his car. “Hopefully that won’t happen again,” he says before getting back into his vehicle.

I feel a little bad about my outburst. I shouldn’t have let my nerves get the better of me. Instead of worrying about myself, I’m now fully worried about Avery. Hopefully he’s feeling okay and the trip back will be smooth from here on out.

My worries don’t really help the situation though because we have to stop two more times for him to throw up. Each time, I get out, rub his back, and do everything I can to soothe him.

Finally, we pull into a little town where Avery’s pack lives. With any luck, this could very well be my pack, as well, very soon. The nerves are back but also mixed in there is a budding excitement. It’s been so long since I’ve been around other shifters. It’s been too long since I was part of a community.

Gods, I hope they accept me as much as Avery has!

We pull into the driveway of a cute little house. Its siding is light gray and the shutters are all painted bright blue, making a super fun contrast. There are lights hanging from the gutters that look like dripping icicles. There’s a tree in the window, already lit up with Christmas lights.

I get out of my car and walk over to Avery who’s looking at me nervously.

“So,” he says, “this is it.”

I grin and pull him into my arms. “It’s perfect, just like you. I can’t wait to get inside and see everything.”

“I’m pretty sure Ellie is here already, so brace yourself for about a thousand questions. Have you seen any cop shows where there’s a good cop, bad cop? Well, Ellie is somehow both of those at the same time.”

“Should I be nervous?”

Avery looks up at me and winces. “Maybe just a little bit?”

“Good to know,” I say with a chuckle. I lean down and kiss his forehead, breathing in his peachy scent. There’s a new tang to it, something almost citrusy. Huh, it smells really good, I wonder where that scent is coming from.

I pick up my bags from my trunk and grab Avery’s as well. He shakes his head in amusement but lets me bring it all in. This has nothing to do with me being an alpha and everything to do with me wanting to appear helpful and strong for Ellie.

Avery opens the door for me. “Ellie?”

“Avery!” Someone screams with excitement and a moment later, I hear someone running into the room. Those footsteps stop abruptly and I watch as Avery’s best friend freezes as she sees me standing in the doorway, holding all of our bags.

She gasps, covering her mouth dramatically. “ Avery ! You didn’t tell me you were bringing an alpha home with you! Especially not one so sexy!”

My face blazes as her eyes sweep over me. Avery steps in front of me, putting his hands on his hips. “Oh my gods! Stop ogling him like that!”

Ellie pouts. “You’re no fun. Now get in here and tell me everything . Oh, I made lunch for once. It’s probably not as good as your cooking but it’ll fill your belly.”

At the mention of food, Avery’s face turns pale and he runs deeper into the house. Ellie turns towards me with a frown. “What’s going on?”

I shrug. “He’s been sick all the way home.”

“Home?” Ellie asks, raising her brow at me. “Interesting. We are so going to be talking about that, but first, I think maybe we should check on Avery and make sure he’s okay.”

“Umm? Yeah. Sounds good.”

I follow behind Ellie through the house, taking everything in. It smells so good inside Avery’s house and I find my mind drifting ever so slightly, thinking about how nice it’ll be once my scent is here as well, mixing with Avery’s.

Ellie points at a door, telling me I can drop the bags off there. I step inside and realize this is the bedroom. I put the bags on the floor and head back out, following the sound of Ellie’s voice.

“Oh, babe,” Ellie is murmuring softly. “It’s okay, get it all out.”

Avery says something but it’s so muffled I can’t make it out.

“No, this isn’t food poisoning. You’re gonna be experiencing this for the next few months.”

“What?”

“Yeah, Avery. I can smell it. You’re pregnant.”

The words make me freeze. Pregnant? No, that can’t be right. Sure, we were having quite a lot of sex before leaving the cabin, but that doesn’t mean Avery is pregnant. He wasn’t even in heat as far as I could tell.

The more I think about it, the more the truth settles. Avery is pregnant. He’s pregnant with my baby. We’re going to be a family.

I’m terrified and elated at the same time. My head is light and my knees are weak but the only thing I want to do is hold Avery in my arms and tell him everything is going to be okay. Sure, this is all fast as fuck, but that doesn’t matter. I’m here and I’m planning on staying for the long haul. I’m staying for as long as he’ll let me.

All of my fears fall away. I will never make my child feel the way my old pack made me feel. I’m here for as long as he’ll have me, there’s no going back. I’m here until Avery turns me away. This might have all gone ridiculously quickly but I don’t care. Call it true mates. Call it divine intervention. All I know is that my feelings are real . Avery is my omega, I am his alpha, and we’re going to have a family together.

I’m no longer afraid.

I step into the bathroom. “Avery?”

Avery looks up at me from his place on the bathroom floor. There are tears in his eyes and my heart shatters. I get on my knees in front of him, gently touching his face. I use my thumbs to wipe away his tears.

“Hey, you’re okay,” I whisper, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. “We’re okay. We’ll get through this. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You don’t want to run?”

“No,” I say right away. We have so much to talk about and plan but right now, we need to be on the same page. “I’m all in, Avery. I want you and I want this baby.” I swallow around the lump in my throat. I lick my lips, trying to get them to stop feeling so fucking dry. “I even want this pack,” I confess softly.

Avery pulls me into a tight hug, squeezing me until I’m breathless. When we pull away, I cup his face once more. “Everything is gonna be okay.”

He nods. “Are you happy?”

I finally allow myself to smile. “Yes. I’m so happy, baby.”

“Me too.”

“Well, now that we’ve got that squared away,” Ellie says from the doorway. “Can I please properly interrogate Frost?”

Avery and I both chuckle. I carefully help him up and hold him around the waist as we walk into the living room. We spend the rest of the day cuddled up on the couch, answering each and every one of Ellie’s questions. By the time she leaves, I already like her. I’m glad that Avery has had such a fiercely loyal friend at his side. The three of us fit together and I can only hope that the rest of the pack will agree that I fit as well.